


feel it rushing through you

by horlik_aholic



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: High School AU, M/M, Porn With Plot, Smut, non-penetrative, popular!niall, shy!zayn, they make a bet, what else?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 12:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1510241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horlik_aholic/pseuds/horlik_aholic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall raised his voice over the general noise of his friends, waiting with a quirked eyebrow for them to quiet down before continuing, “I've a new wager in mind."</p><p>Moving in closer to Niall, they all ducked their heads together to be absolutely certain no one else overheard; their bets were for them and them alone. </p><p>"Out with it man," Louis demanded impatiently, “haven’t got all day, have we?"</p><p>"I was in the locker room with Josh a bit ago and I saw this underclassman.." he paused for dramatic effect, looking each of the other three in the eyes with a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth, “Fit doesn't even begin to describe him. One of us gets to find out just how fit he is. S'where the bet comes in- I bet I can get with him before any of you lot can."</p>
            </blockquote>





	feel it rushing through you

**Author's Note:**

> title from ed sheeran's new song sing because im cliche as fuck. 
> 
> none of this really happened, i dont own one direction, you get the picture. dont use this for anything without my permission.
> 
> god this took forever to write, im so sorry anon i kept losing inspiration for this and having to wait a month before coming back to it. hope you enjoy it!
> 
> also on my tumblr weyheyhorlik.tumblr.com

 

“Sup bro!” Niall’s palm made easy contact with Josh’s as he crossed the gym towards the boy’s locker room before practice. Naturally, all eyes were on them - taking in their casual interaction as if it was the most important thing happening in the world at that moment. Neither bothered to notice, going about their business as usual, falling into easy conversation about the ManU match that had taken place the night before.

It was still the last period of the day- Niall and Josh were both seniors and had kick ass schedules which included only midday classes. They entered the locker room still engaged in discussion when Niall’s attention was drawn away from his friend’s words by one of the underclassmen hurriedly changing back into school clothes after his last period phys ed class.

He may have been an underclassman, but there was no denying that the kid was fit; which left Niall to wonder why he was practically ripping his gym clothes off and shoving his other outfit back on, head swiveling wildly to be sure no one was watching. He hadn’t seen Niall.

“Ni!”

Niall nearly gave himself whiplash as Josh’s voice broke through his thoughts and he swiveled his head back to look at his friend, smirk playing on his lips.

“I know that look,” Josh laughed, quirking an eyebrow at the blonde. “You’re up to something and I want nothing to do with it, I can’t afford another detention.”

Shrugging, Niall turned to his locker and spun the lock expertly, opening it within seconds.

“Your loss,” he played along, acted as if he’d wanted to include Josh in the first place. In reality, the only people Niall had planned on including were his best mates, the three he shared everything with.

Niall, Liam, Louis, and Harry effectively ran the school. Known by everyone - freshmen and seniors alike - they were constantly being thrown looks of fear, envy, awe, or some combination of the three. The thought that some people were afraid of them was hilarious; aside from being notorious for making the most ridiculous bets - and going out of their way to come up victorious - they mostly kept to themselves. When they did end up in detention (more often that any of them would’ve liked to admit), it was always inevitably the backlash of a successfully (or, on rare occasions, unsuccessfully) completed bet.

Pulling his practice jersey on and lacing up his cleats, Niall quickly slung his equipment bag over his shoulder and jogged out to the school’s turf soccer pitch.

The three he’d been searching for were already on the field; Liam and Louis making their way lithely towards the goal where Harry stood in his keeper kit, eye trained steadfastly on the approaching ball. Liam moved closer and Harry started his advance, looking to cut off the angle of the shot, when at the last second he crossed the ball to where Louis was stood by the opposite goalpost.

Realizing his mistake, Harry dove in a last ditch attempt to keep the ball Louis was toeing past the goal line from crossing him. It rolled into the back net just as Louis threw his arms up, yelling in triumph and Harry huffed out something like “two against one no fair I didn't even have a defender”. 

Laughing loudly, Niall made his way onto the field and shoved Louis aside to pat Harry on the back consolingly. 

"Not my fault he’s a shit keeper!" Louis joked.

Harry spluttered out half formed protests while Liam tried to defend his friend, "He's really quite good, actually.." 

"Anyways," Niall raised his voice over the general noise of his friends, waiting with a quirked eyebrow for them to quiet down before continuing, “I've a new wager in mind."

Moving in closer to Niall, they all ducked their heads together to be absolutely certain no one else overheard; their bets were for them and them alone. 

"Out with it man," Louis demanded impatiently, “haven’t got all day, have we?"

"I was in the locker room with Josh a bit ago and I saw this underclassman.." he paused for dramatic effect, looking each of the other three in the eyes with a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth, “Fit doesn't even begin to describe him. One of us gets to find out just how fit he is. S'where the bet comes in- I bet I can get with him before any of you lot can."

Louis hopped on Niall’s back without warning, whooping his consent, “I’ll take that bet!”

"I mean no offence," Harry broke in, his eyebrows drawn together in thought, “but won’t it be kind of…easy? Who even is the kid? It doesn’t matter if he’s gay, most of the underclassmen would give their right leg just to be near us anyways."

"That’s-" 

Snorting, Louis’ voice cut Niall off, “Kid’s got a point.” (Punctuated with a huffed "Hey! M'not a kid!")

"Yes, but-"

Again Niall’s voice was overpowered by Liam’s irritatingly rational one (although to be fair it wasn’t usually irritating, just when Niall was trying to speak), “And say one of us does get into his pants, what’s the prize? What are we even-“

"Shut the fuck up and listen, would you?" Niall’s annoyed voice rendered the others silent before he breathed out a sigh out relief and kept talking, “Fucking finally, jesus. Harry, you first. The kid is shy beyond belief; hell he was afraid just changing in the locker room. There’s no way he’ll be easy, plus I’ve never seen him a day in my life- probably a newbie. Poor kid." He paused to consider Liam’s question. “And secondly, Liam, trust me, when you see this kid you’ll understand. Shagging him is the prize."

"Well shit Horan, what's this now? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re already positively smitten over this kid, hm?" Louis waggled his eyebrows at the blonde as Niall tried and failed to not roll his eyes.

"Shove off, Tommo. Like I said,  _when you see him you will understand_ ," Niall shot back, an image of the unnamed kid- and damn, yeah, none of them even knew his  _name_ , which could definitely complicate things- making its way into his mind. He had some work to do to find out who exactly this kid was.

Just then Coach Teasdale blew her whistle- she may have been a she but Coach Teasdale was still the toughest person any of them knew- and yelled over towards the four, “Oi! Get your arses over here, yeah? This isn’t social hour!”

Jogging obediently towards the rest of the team, Niall noticed his friends had clearly laid the thought of the unnamed underclassman to rest for the time-being to focus on practice. For some reason, the blonde found himself unable to do the same.

* * *

 

"Ma, m’home!" Niall called distractedly, dropping his bag to the floor beside the door and shutting it loudly behind him.

"How many times must I tell you not to slam the door?" Maura reprimanded from the kitchen, knowing full well her words fell on deaf ears.

Niall was already halfway up the stairs, throwing a half hearted apology over his shoulder. Reaching his room he took care to close his own door gently before plopping down on his bed, pulling his laptop out from under it. He quickly typed the url for Facebook into the search bar, opening the neglected homepage for the first time in at least a month.

Only then did he pause, idly scrolling through his notifications as he tried to figure out a plan of action to approach finding a person he didn't know a thing about. He resorted to just scrolling down his newsfeed, hoping to stumble across some of the underclassmen he was friends with talking about the new kid. No such luck.

Sighing, he pulled up Twitter for a mindless distraction, replying to a few of his mentions and reading the pointless banter his classmates were exchanging on his timeline. It was the same old shit, guys discussing upcoming parties and sports while girls gave their followers far more information about their mood and location than anyone cared to know. Usually Niall was all for it, jumping in his classmates’ conversations with ease- but today he found couldn’t care less, far more focused on finding fit kid from gym class.

Wait.

He scrolled back up, rereading a conversation between two girls he vaguely knew from his calculus class that had caught his interest.

@cherlloyd: @jadethir my god that boy could get it  
@jadethir: @cherllyod you’re a propa creep you know that? hes a sophmore  
@cherlloyd: yes and? don’t even pretend he wasn’t fit. kill to know his name

There was a chance of zero that they were taking about someone other then the person he was looking for. Anxiously, he refreshed Cher’s account, looking to see if anyone replied to her.

@pezzedwards: @cherllyod @jadethir if you’re talkin bout the newbie, his name is zayn malik and cher love, I can’t help but agree that he is cuuute

 _There it is_. He typed out a quick tweet to Perrie-

@niallhoran2: @pezzedwards pez have I mentioned t ya lately you're the best ?

-before pulling Facebook up once more and punching Zayn Malik into the search bar.

_Got him._

He shifted in his chair anxiously as he searched the underclassman's information, acknowledging gratefully how helpful it was that his profile was mostly public.

He was a sophomore, transferred from a school a few towns over, sexual orientation: bisexual (and although Niall never would have expected the shy boy he watched in the locker room to be willing to share something like that on Facebook, he was relieved; this would make their lives much easier), and his birthday was January 12.

Clicking through his profile pictures, Niall was once again shocked at just how fucking fit this kid was. His nearly black hair was long in the front and styled up in most of the pictures, but down and soft in others, and Niall didn't even begin to try to decide which look he liked better. His tanned skin was smooth and clear, with a white shy smile and warm dark eyes and Niall was all the more determined to win this bet as he imagined the younger lad's expanse of smooth skin down his stomach and thighs and his mouth slack, eyes closed tight in pleasure below him and-

He knew it was probably weird, being so intent on fucking this kid but- it was all in the name of winning the bet, right?

Sliding his phone open a few minutes later, he shot a text to Liam, Harry and Louis with Zayn's name and nothing else. Sitting back in his chair, he gave it only a few moments before the group chat blew-up.

**Lou**

_who is THAT?_

**Liam**

_woww he is ratherr.. nice 2 look atttt_

**Haz**

_Oh my._

Grinning, Niall took another glance at his computer screen as he typed out a response.

**Ni**

_that, lads, is the boy of the bet. did i not tell u hes fit !_

**Lou**

_did i not tell u youre smitten?_

**Ni**

_whatever lou , guess youre not in on the bet then. just me liam and harry i spose ?_

**Lou**

_oh no no, i never said that._

_game on lads_

* * *

 

Reaching his locker, Niall spun the dial to his combination as he heard a familiar voice approaching. 

"Hey Lou-" he cut his voice off abruptly as he realized who exactly Louis had been talking to. 

"Ummmmm." Louis had evidently been chatting up Zayn, and it now seemed the younger was struggling to focus on answering rather than the arm thrown around his shoulder. "Yeh, the school is cool so far, I guess," he shrugged self consciously, "don't really know anyone yet though, like. My professors are great, really know what they're talking about."

Louis scrunched his nose in distaste, " _Really_? You like the teachers here? More power to ya Malik.  _Anyways_ ,"

Niall groaned- he had seen Louis in action enough times to know what was coming next-

"you can now add  _me_  to the list of people you know. And maybe add my number to your phone while you're at it, yeah?" 

Eyes widening shyly, Zayn gave a nervous nod. "Yeah, sure. Here," he pulled out an old Blackberry, opening a new contact and hesitating before quietly asking, "Sorry but- s'your name again?"

Louis looked taken aback for a moment; everyone in this school knew his name. Recovering quickly, he let out a loud laugh and put placed a flirty hand on the underclassman's hip, pulling him closer.

"Name's Louis," he whispered just loud enough for Niall to hear. Smirking, Louis' blue eyes snapped up to meet Niall's before bringing his attention back to Zayn. "And it'd serve you well to remember it seeing as you'll be screaming it in the very near future." And then, he winked.

He fucking  _winked_.

Louis was many things, but _subtle_ was not one of them. 

Zayn's dark skin tinged bright pink and he mumbled something about having class, nodding slightly as he pulled away from the older lad's grip and down the hallways. "Later, Zayn," Louis calmly called after him. 

Snorting, Niall turned back to the contents of his locker as he felt Louis sidle up next to him. 

"I'm about to blow you lads out of the fucking water," he gloated, grin splitting his face in two.

Turning towards his friend in disbelief Niall's mouth gaped open momentarily before he burst out in laughter. "You've  _got_  to be kidding me!  _That's_  what you think is gonna seduce him? Tell me you're taking the piss. You're a riot Lou, kid probably thinks you're gonna rape him or summat."

"Please Niall," Louis rolled his eyes, gathering his stuff to head to class, "Clearly you're not up on the art of flirting. I had him eating out of the palm of my hand."

Niall started to protest again but Louis was already walking away, throwing one last "Watch and learn, Horan," over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hallway. 

* * *

 

Plopping down on the lunch table bench, Niall joined Liam in their usual spot. He could vaguely sense the eyes of students around lingering on them but he shook it off- he was used to it by now. 

"Sup mate," he greeted, placing his well stocked tray on the table as he slid off his backpack. 

Liam nodded in acknowledgement, apple in his hand crunching as he bit into it. He swallowed the bit in his mouth before speaking, "Hey Ni. Talked to Lou at all today?"

"I have actually, he was goin' on about how he's gonna kick all our asses in this bit. I watched him in action firsthand and trust me, Li, we've nothin' to worry about."

"Really?" Liam's brow furrowed, "The way Lou was talking I figured he'd already gotten the kid to basically beg for it."

"Ha! Cocky bastard. Guess we'll see won't we?"

"I actually talked to Zayn today, too," Liam admittedly sheepishly, pleased grin on his face.

Niall's mouth gaped, "Did ya now! And what of it?"

It wasn't that Liam won less bets than the rest of them, just that Liam's philosophy was typical 'slow and steady wins the race' (as they were often reminded-- the  _tortoise and the hare_  was Liam's favorite classic children's story because "it's bloody brilliant and who doesn't love tortoises right?") and it was incredibly uncharacteristic for Liam to have made a move so early in the game.

"Well I reckon the lad's like, a prodigy or something seeing as he's in my English class. So-"

Niall cut him off with a loud laugh, "Liam no offense mate but you're right shite at English, him being in your class doesn't make him a prodigy seeing as you're in lower level English."

"Whatever he's still a sophomore in an advanced English class. Anyways so the teacher asked us to partner up and I really didn't feel like working with Danielle  _again_  and he was standing there all alone so I just asked him to be my partner. And yeah, was good and now we've got to work on a project together so he's asked for my number. Reckon that's a good start."

"Shit Li," Niall worried his bottom lip slightly, "That's  _too_  good of a start. Should probably get going on this meself.."

He told himself he was just in it for the sex and to show the others up. He definitely  _wasn't_  smitten with this boy he only knew about through secondhand accounts from other people.

 _He wasn't_. 

"...Niall?" 

Shaking himself out of his own head, Niall turned his attention back to Liam. "Sorry mate, wha' were ya sayin' again?"

"I asked if you're going to Devine's party this weekend?" 

And just like that the topic of Zayn-- of the bet-- was dropped for the remainder of the period. 

* * *

 

Lunch ended shortly after and, waving bye to Liam, the two parted ways, leaving Niall to wander idly in the direction of his Spanish class. He spaced out as the professor went on about past tense irregular verbs- something he had mastered years ago- and tried to come up with a plan to talk to  _Zayn_. Purely for bet purposes, of course. 

When the bell rang and he still hadn't come up with anything (except an epiphany that Zayn's eyelashes must have been specifically elongated by some deity that had one hell of an eye for beauty- Aphridote or summat,) Niall sighed loudly in defeat as he gathered his books. He debated internally for a moment between whether to drive home before practice (Spanish was his last class even though there were technically two periods still left in the school day) or to just wait it out in the library and try to get some homework done. Usually he'd go home and have a bite to eat and nap, but he had a shitload of homework to attend to and figured he'd at least try to be somewhat studious for once.

He mindlessly made his way towards the library and pushed open the door- right into another person.

"Shit," Niall's brogue rang loudly through the quiet of the room as the body he'd knocked into stumbled and fell, books spilling across the floor.

"Shit," he repeated, reaching down to help the boy, "M' so sorry mate, was so distracted I didn't even see ya there-" His words faltered as he properly looked at the lad hunched over, hurriedly collecting his books.

" _Zayn?_ " and shit. He really hadn't meant to say that.

Zayn's head whipped around and he looked at Niall with wide, guarded eyes, "Don't think I know you?"

Mentally smacking himself, Niall recovered quickly, "Not really no, just," he handed Zayn the last of his books and stood up, dusting himself off and offering the younger lad a hand to grab, "you were talking to my idiot mate Louis in the hall earlier and you practically ran away from him after, not that I can really blame you." He shrugged as the dark haired lad finally took the outstretched hand and pulled himself to his feet.

Running his fingers through his hair, Zayn turned bright red and avoided Niall's gaze, giving a small shrug of his own, "He was a bit.. well, scary."

Niall let out a surprised laugh and Zayn's head whipped up nervously, "Not that he's scary, or anything, just like-"

"Zayn it's fine," Niall cut him off, still laughing. Liking the way Zayn's name rolled off his tongue. "I'd be scared of him if I were you, too. He likes to come off as this tough macho guy but really he's a big softie."

A small smile graced Zayn's lips at that and Niall couldn't help but light up at the sight as Zayn spoke again, a bit more confidently this time, "Sorry, I didn't catch your name?" 

"Right, Niall, m'name's Niall Horan," he held out his hand again to Zayn, but this time for a proper handshake, which earned another shy smile from the underclassman as their hands locked again. 

"Nice to meet you, Niall," and the way Zayn said it made the blonde truly believe he meant it, "Maybe I'll see you around?"

Niall was shocked- the shy boy from the locker room actually seemed somewhat comfortable talking to him (to put it plainly,  _nothing_  like how he seemed talking to Lou)- and he couldn't hold back his pleased smile as he conceded, "Definitely yeh. Definitely be seein' ya," and the younger disappeared through the library doors.

* * *

 

Niall never went home after school any longer, opting instead to visit the library every day after he first talked to Zayn (not that he ever got any homework done, but, whatever, technicalities) and had gotten into the routine of sitting with the younger lad. 

As far as he was concerned, shy, closed off Zayn had become an entirely different person- he had become a friend. In the back of his mind, the bet still loomed over Niall's thoughts, and, as much as Niall didn't want to admit it, the idea of one of the other lads sleeping with Zayn absolutely killed him.

( _He was not smitten. Not. Smitten._ )

As far as he could figure, Harry was going for some sort of silent but deadly approach that Niall, quite frankly, did not understand in the slightest. 

("Silent but deadly? Honestly? You're as bad as Louis! Mate, that sounds like you're a bloody fart for fuck's sake! What in the hell does that even  _mean_?"

"Niaaaalllllllll c'mon pal you know what it means! Like, I've been giving him my cheeky seductive look in the hallways and one day he just won't be able to resist anymore and he'll just jump me by my locker. Easy as that." 

"'Cheeky seductive'? Are you even actually  _trying_  to win this anymore or have you already given up?"

"Course I'm trying! Whatever, mate, even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day, yeah? This'll work just have faith.")

Louis was taking the complete opposite approach of Harry- pretty much going all Zayn all the time. It was rare when Niall would walk through the hallways and see Louis without his arm wrapped around Zayn's waist (one time his hand was even slipped in Zayn's back pocket), and Zayn with wide nervous eyes shooting a pleading look in Niall's direction. 

("Lou, man, not to interfere but you are  _scaring the living shite_  out of the kid." 

"Relax Ni, it's all under control.")

As far as Niall figured, Liam was the biggest threat. Liam was always very modest about everything so he had to assume the story he was getting from Liam didn't even scratch the surface of how well his end of the bet was going. 

("Li how're things going on your end? Any luck?"

"It's going fine, thanks, the project we're working on is coming out really good."

"No you twat, how is it going with Zayn?"

"Oh! It's great, he's doing most of the work since he gets it better than me."

" _No_ , Liam, the  _bet_!"

"Ohhhhh you should've said that! Yeah it's good actually, thinking about trying to kiss him next time maybe, get things going."

"Ah ah!" neither lad had even realized Louis'd been standing there until he cut in, "That's against the rules Payno! He's got to initiate!" 

Niall raised one eyebrow because  _since when had that been a rule_? Liam seemed to be thinking along the same lines because his lower lip jutted out as he complained, "No fair! When did we decide that!"

"Just now, otherwise it would be easy.")

So now there was also apparently a new rule. Niall sighed as he dropped his bag at his and Zayn's usual table and plopped in a chair, realizing it was time to step his game up. 

The younger lad walked in shortly after, and the blonde had to ignore the butterflies tickling his insides as he saw Zayn spot Niall and promptly light up. 

"Malik!" he patted the chair next to him to ensure that Zayn sat beside him rather than across from him.

Zayn took the bait, sliding into the designated seat and grinning shyly, "Hey, Ni. What's goin' on?"

"Eh, y'know the usual," he said casually, placing his hand to rest on Zayn's thigh, just above his knee. He heard Zayn's breath catch and continued speaking carefully, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary, "Going out of my way to avoid doing homework."

Gulping, Zayn laughed breathlessly and nodded. "Right," he agreed quietly, unconsciously leaning into Niall's touch. 

Turning to look at the dark haired lad next to him, Niall opened his mouth to say something else but found the other already looking at him, their faces less than a foot apart. Zayn's were wide, nervous and.. hopeful?

Fuck Louis' rule.

Niall ducked his head closer (was Zayn moving closer too?) and their lips met in the middle, so Niall supposed that could be considered Zayn partially making the first move. Not that Niall particularly cared at the moment, not with Zayn pressed up against him and shyly scooting himself closer.

Laughing into the kiss, Niall brought one hand to Zayn's shoulder, holding him there, and laying his other hand against the younger's cleanly shaven cheek. It was tentative, Zayn's lips moving cautiously, and when Niall licked into his mouth, his eyes shot open as he pulled away timidly.

"Sorry, I-" he cleared his throat, "I've never done this before so, like."

Shit. He looked so flustered and cute and Niall was not smitten.

"Well," Niall's eyes sparkled in amusement, "would you like to learn?"

* * *

 

Niall got outside to the football pitch after school that day ( _lips thoroughly swollen_  he recognized with a pleased grin) and barely had time to look at his friends before Coach Teasdale started up practice, running them through countless drills and footwork and sprints. 

"A'right boys, reckon that's good for today. Finally seems like we're gettin' your arses in shape," she finally released them, desperately adding, "Don't be stupid this weekend need ya all in top form, yeah?"

Turning to pack up his bag, Niall felt a sweat-sticky arm drape around his shoulder. 

"Hey, buddy," Harry drawled, breaking into that easy grin of his. 

His abundant-- and frankly, if you asked Niall,  _unnecessarily_  excessive-- curls were pushed back off his forehead with some absurd bandana-type-thing tied in the back and Niall physically cringed.

"Haz what the bloody hell is tied around your head? Oh and get yer smelly arm off of me mate."

"Hey! It's bandana and it's  _hipster_  thank you very much," and honestly, his tone was so indignant Niall almost groaned because this boy might as well be 6 years old. 

"What've we got here!" Louis joined the conversation, walking up besides the pair with Liam as they all made their way back inside.

"Niall doesn't like my headband," this time, Niall  _did_  groan. 

"Harry, not to be the bearer of bad news but it really is atrocious," Louis didn't really sound all that apologetic. Niall let out a bark of laughter and even Liam looked like he was choking back a laugh as Harry sqwaked in protest. "Anyways, Niall you looked rather smiley all throughout that horrific practice. Care to share?"

He tried to make his returning grim smug, he really did, but he had a feeling it just came across as...well, smitten. Not that he was. Just, yeah.

"Kissed Zayn," he replied simply, shrugging. 

"Well then! What's this!" Louis' fingers were suddenly on Niall's face, pulling at the corners of his smile and the surrounding skin, "Amazing. What's that word I used? Smitten?"

"M'not! Got to start somewhere for the bet, haven't I?"

"I suppose, but I can't help but wonder since when our bets made you smile dreamily into space as you imagine riding your knight in shining nakedness at sunset?" 

Niall rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, making a mental note to find new friends. "Ya know, I could be mistaken but I think that might not be how that saying goes. Not to mention it really is all in the name of the bet.. it's still anyone's game at this point seeing as we've only kissed." It killed Niall to say that, but it was the only way to convince the others that he  _wasn't_  smitten. Cause he certainly wasn't. 

* * *

 

He had just finished showering later that night when his phone buzzed. Grabbing it off the counter, he slid to unlock it as he made his way towards his room.

**Li**

_ughhhhhh_

It was in the group message the four friends had going. He was just about to respond when Harry beat him to it.

**Haz**

_What's up Payno?_

**Li**

_i thinkk nialls pretty much got this kid locked upp_

**Ni**

_Ha ! what makes ya say that?_

**Li**

_we got together tonite to workk on our project and he just kept talking about u! he asked for ur number so i had to give it to him but i reallyyy wanted to win ughh. i culd use a good lay_

**Lou**

_we'll see about that_

Niall was pretty sure his eyes would get stuck and be permanently rolled back into his head with how often he rolled his eyes at this lot. Namely Louis. That aside, he couldn't fight the butterflies he got knowing Zayn had his number. 

As if on cue, his phone buzzed again and he looked down to see what other idiotic commentary one of his friends had added to the chat, but his heart stuttered when he saw a number he didn't recognize on the screen instead. 

Opening the message, he broke out in a wide grin, quickly saving the number to his phone.

**Zayn**

_hey its zayn :) x_

He screenshotted it and sent it in the group message to his friends as a big _fuck you guess who's gonna win this bet?_

Still smiling, he typed out a quick response.

**Ni**

_z ! whats up man?Xx_

Only seconds after replying he was antsy, staring obsessively at his phone waiting for it to buzz again.

(not smitten)

He decided to jog downstairs for a quick snack, pointedly leaving his phone in his room. After a granola bar and a short conversation with his mum, he returned to a brand new shiny text from 

**Lou**

_last time i checked, we bet on who could fuck him first, not who texts him first._

Flopping down on his bed exasperatedly, he just decided to roll over for a much needed nap when his phone vibrated again. He grabbed it eagerly from under himself and unlocked it, and Zayn's name flashing across the top was a sight for sore eyes. 

**Zayn**

_nothin, sketchin a bit. got ur number from liam hope thats ok ? x_

The messages flowed quickly after that, surprisingly naturally, although neither mentioned their afternoon in the library.

Niall wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it sure hadn't been this. Zayn seemed sure of himself and even-- even  _flirtly_  over text. He lost the nervous reservations he normally had around people, and Niall found himself wanting to be the one that Zayn felt he could open up around face-to-face, as well.

Strictly for bet purposes, of course.

As the night grew later, Niall was seriously concerned with very real possibility of his stupid dopey smile cementing itself in place permanently.

He had to win this bet.

**Ni**

_z? whatre you up t tomorow night ?_

**Zayn**

_nuthin i dont think? schedules pretty free !!_

**Ni**

_right well, jus now remembered that devine's throwin a rager at his. would ya been interested in comin with?_

**Zayn**

_as in like, with you to the party ?x_

**Ni**

_indeed sir_

**Zayn**

_yea sure, yea think thatd be wicked :D xx_

Niall heaved out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. Had he actually just gotten nervous asking someone to a party? It wasn't as if anyone had ever turned him-- or any of the 4 of them, for that matter-- down.

Maybe smitten?

No, no. Absolutely not.

They worked out the details for when Niall'd be picking Zayn up the following evening before they each decided to retire for the night-- Niall with an unwavering grin and a nagging realization (which he was pointedly trying to ignore) that he'd never cared this much about any of their other previous bets.

(Maybe a little smitten.)

* * *

 

Niall knew it was a bad idea to ask Liam for help. 

Because asking Liam for help inevitably turns into Harry tagging along (seriously, Liam needs to learn how to say no to Harry's wide pleading puppy-dog eyes) and if Liam and Harry are both going of course Louis is going to find out because neither Harry nor Liam understand the concept of  _keeping their mouths shut_.

"You should absolutely wear this, it's fool-proof. There's no chance he'd turn you down if you're wearing this?"

"Louis, how dense do you think I am?" Niall wasn't even trying to hide the exasperation in his voice as he grabbed the bright orange suit out of Louis' hand and threw it across the room. (It was a Halloween bet they'd made one year- don't ask.)

"What?" Louis batted his eyelashes innocently, "that will  _certainly_  get you laid."

Ignoring him, Niall turned to Liam desperately, "Help.  _Please_."

"I still don't get why it's such a big deal what you wear."

"Shut up Harry," Liam warned, shooting Niall a knowing look, which-  _why_? 

There was nothing  **to**   _know_. Niall just wanted to look good so Zayn would definitely sleep with him and Niall could win the bet,  _obviously_. Why did Liam always need to think he was so knowledgeable, honestly?

"This," Liam threw Niall a gray zip-up hoodie, "over this," followed by a simple black t-shirt, "because this makes your eyes pop, with your usual jeans and white trainers."

"Super, Li have I mentioned you're the only one worth keeping around?" Niall said, pressing a quick kiss to Liam's cheek and ignoring the chorus of protests from the other two. "And now I'll be off. Catch you lot on the flipside."

"See you at the party Nialler!" Louis called behind him, and Niall couldn't stop the groan that escaped his lips as he turned to face the smaller lad. 

"You're going?"

"You really think I'm going to let you win this easily?" Louis smiled easily and hopped off the bed, giving Niall a noogie (and effectively fucking up his hair) as he brushed by him and towards the exit, "Tsk tsk Nialler you should know I don't fuck around with bets! May the best man win." And he was down the steps and out the door within seconds. 

Niall took in the faces of the two friends remaining in his room.

Liam's eyebrows were drawn together in worry, lips turned down at the corners as he undoubtedly imagined all possible outcomes of the night- more than half of which probably ended in Niall and Louis killing each other over Zayn's body. 

(Which was absurd because, despite all their bickering, Louis was like Niall's older brother and even he had to admit that- for some strange reason, however fucked up it may be- he admired and looked up to Louis whole-heartedly, which. Well. That was something he would never ever admit to Louis.)

Harry had this look of sudden realization on his face and Niall really didn't even want to know. 

"...And on that note, I'm outta here." Niall let the door swing shut behind him, not bothering to see his friends out. At this point in their friendship they were well past the stage of awkward uncertainty around each other's families and in each other's houses. 

He managed to keep his mind blank on the drive to Zayn's, a feat which, although surprising, was welcomed. Niall knew if he were to dwell too much on where he was headed or what Louis was going to try to pull at the party, he'd sweat right through his top.

Niall pulled up in front of Zayn's house and debated for a moment over whether he should text the younger boy to let him know he was there, but quickly settled on actually going to the door and knocking. Just seemed more... gentlemanly. 

His knuckles had barely tapped the door before Zayn was opening it, all breathtaking smile and nervous energy as Niall took in the sight of his black jeans and red shirt with the sleeves pushed up. And wow.

"Uh, ready?" Niall asked, eyes lingering on the scooped neck of Zayn's shirt, cut just low enough to reveal a small tattoo of what appeared to be writing on his tan and otherwise unblemished collarbone. He mentally shook himself out of it and met Zayn's eyes.

He had a small, shy-yet-pleased grin on his face and he nodded timidly, before holding up a finger to Niall and half shutting the door to call out a soft "Bye, love you," to his mom and Niall might've been amused had that not been the most endearing thing he'd ever witnessed. 

"Zayn wait!" a high-pitched voice called from inside the house, followed frantic footsteps bounding towards them. 

"Saf wha-"Zayn stepped into his house quickly, still half closed door preventing Niall from seeing inside, but he could hear the sounds of a small scuffle as Zayn fought off what Niall could only assume was his little sister.

" _Just lemme_ -"

" _Oh, would you just_ -"

" _Zayn!_ "

" _Come off it_ -"

A loud thump-

"OI, BOTH OF YOU CUT IT OUT. Zayn be nice to your sister!"

A defeated sigh-

Niall bit back his smile as the door swung open to reveal a small girl around 9, with Zayn's dark features and eyes and her little hand perched on her hip. She surveyed Niall, lips pursed as she looked him over and Niall could just make out the image of Zayn standing behind her- expression somewhere between annoyed, embarrassed, and nervous. 

After a long moment the girl broke out into a grin and Niall had collect himself a bit because he was looking at a mirror image of Zayn's smile, teeth a little smaller and lips a little slimmer but still distinctly  _Zayn_. And really Niall shouldn't have been surprised because duh, siblings, but the fact that two people in the world got lucky enough to have that blinding smile was mind blowing to the blonde. He wondered if they got that smile from their mom or their dad. Then he wondered when he had starting wondering things like that about people involved in their bets and. Okay, yeah. He'd admit that was something. 

Safaa was gripping Zayn tightly in a hug, still grinning, and made no attempt to be discreet as she said to her brother, "You were right, he  _is_  cute!"

Niall was grinning ear to ear, Zayn looked like he was trying to melt into the ground right there, and Safaa had turned back around to face Niall.

She stuck her hand out to Niall matter-of-factly, "Hi, I'm Safaa, Zayn's sister!"

Niall finally let out the laugh he'd been holding as he took her hand and shook it, "Nice t' meet you Safaa, I'm Niall, Zayn's friend."

"Oh, I know who you are! Zayn's told us all about you and you're even cuter than he-"

Zayn seemed to snap back from the hole he was trying to dig himself into at that, "Okay that's enough, we are leaving, goodbye." He stepped in front of Safaa, grabbing Niall's arm with one hand and the doorknob with the other and pulled it closed behind them. 

They made the short walk to Niall's car in silence, Zayn looking absolutely mortified and Niall still laughing to himself. They got in the car and Zayn turned to Niall with a sheepish smile, hand finding the back of his own neck, "Sorry about her, she's..."

"Adorable?" Niall finished for him, smiling gently as he switched the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. When Zayn didn't reply, Niall kept talking, eyes focused on the road as he said, "She looks just like you, I hadta do a double take. Your smiles are identical."

Zayn breathed out a long sigh of relief, tension leaving his body as he tentatively returned Niall's smile. "Yeah? We get that a lot."

Conversation flowed easily on the ride to the party- so easily that Niall couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as he pulled up in front of Josh's house. It wasn't too often Niall got to hear about Zayn's personal life and he would've liked to have heard more.

He got out and opened Zayn's door for him, basking in the younger boy's bashful smile. They walked up to the door alongside each other,  Niall reaching out to take Zayn's hand and catching his nervous but pleased grin in his peripheral vision.

Inside they were greeted by an endless number of people, Zayn clinging to Niall timidly and Niall never letting go of his hand as he made his way through his classmates.

They made their way to the kitchen, and before Niall could ask Zayn what he wanted, the younger had already grabbed the handle of vodka and poured himself a generous shot. The blonde watched in a mixture of shock and admiration- who knew Zayn had it in him?- as he downed the shot, face contorting slightly as it burned down his throat. 

Niall's face must have given away his disbelief because Zayn smiled proudly up at him. "I gotta little Irish in me too, ya know," and despite the confidence in his voice, his gaze remained firmly on his shoes.

Unable to hide his fond smile, Niall grabbed Zayn's hand, forgoing a drink for himself altogether.

"C'mon, come dance!"

"Erm, I don't really-"

But Niall was already pulling them towards the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the living room, couches and armchairs shoved aside to make room for the mass of drunk teenagers swaying (somewhat) in time with the music. 

Niall placed his hands on Zayn's hips carefully, his unasked question hanging in the air between them. Moving closer, Zayn leaned up to Niall's ear, nearly brushing it as he whispered, "If you think I'm dancing, you're going to need to get me a whole lot drunker than I currently am."

Letting out a quick bark of laughter, Niall ducked forward to catch Zayn's lips in a kiss. He'd only intended for it to be a short one- but Zayn had other plans as prodded Niall's mouth open and trapped the older's lower lip between his own teeth, pulling gently.

Niall pulled away with a grin- he decidedly quite like this side of Zayn. "You're a quick learner hmm? What can I do ya for so that i can see those pretty little hips move?"

Zayn's response was interrupted by a definitively pissed Louis tripping his way into them.

"Little Zaynie are ya sure ya want this big oaf?" he slurred, attempting a wink in Niall's direction which ended up being nothing more than an exaggerated blink.

"Lou get outta here-" Niall started to say before a substantially less drunk Liam joined the mix, dragging Louis away. 

"Let's go play some beerpong Lou."

"Hey nofair, can't interfere-"

"Sorry about that Zayn! What were you bout t' say?" Niall's cheeks burned, and he viciously hoped Zayn hadn't understood what Louis meant by 'interfere'. For Niall, this wasn't about the bet anymore.

If he were being honest, it had stopped being about the bet ages ago. 

Zayn huffed out a laugh, eyes dark as he met Niall's gaze, "I'll have a rum and coke if it's not too much, like, trouble."

Niall sighed in relief, releasing Zayn from his grasp as he turned back towards the kitchen. "No trouble at all, just give me a mo' and I'll be right back."

 

He’d just finished adding the rum when a pair of hands grabbed his sides, hips pushing forward against Niall’s arse a bit filthily. He was about to whirl around and lay out whatever drunk random had the nerve before he was stopped dead, frozen in place by the familiar voice sounding close and low in his ear.

"Thought about what Lou said and I do. Want you, that is. Want you so bad." He ground his hips forward harder, cock stiffening when Niall pushed back instinctively.

"Zayn-" Niall’s breath caught in his throat as his brain tried desperately to catch up. He spun around and found himself pressed tight against the younger boy, dark hands still clutching at his hips and chest heaving.

For the first time since Niall’d met him, Zayn looked confident and sure of himself, pupils blown wide and eyes sultry as he looked up at Niall through that thick layer of lashes. Niall took in the sight before him, pleasantly shocked but also still wondering where his shy, reserved Zayn had gone.

He must have paused just a moment too long, because suddenly all the confidence Zayn had been exuding disappeared as he broke eye contact and stepped back awkwardly.

He looked like he was torn between mumbling an apology and just flat out bolting from the house when Niall finally reacted, reaching out to pull the younger boy back in to his body.

He surged forward, slotting their mouths together once more, one hand curling protectively around Zayn’s lower back as the other came up to cup his cheek sweetly. Barely a moment passed before Zayn was reciprocating, lips parting compliantly as he locked his arms around Niall’s neck.

Niall swept his tongue hotly across Zayn’s lower lip before slipping in, pulling the smaller boy more tightly against him.

"Want you," Zayn said again, breathing the words against Niall’s mouth shakily.

Normally this would be the part where Niall’d bring his party hook-up to the nearest bathroom or bedroom and fuck them against the whatever surface he could find. 

But Zayn…

Fuckin’ Louis was right. Again.

He was smitten.  _Fuck_.

He pulled away, but not before pressing two (or three) more quick kisses to Zayn’s lips.

"C’mon," he panted, grabbing the other lad’s hand and leading them towards the door. Niall didn’t even bother adjusting his trousers to try concealing his arousal, just barreled through the people as they made their way back to his car.

Snatching his keys out of his pocket, Niall all but jumped into the driver’s seat and threw the car in drive. He pulled away before Zayn could even get the door fully shut, intent on making the normally 10 minute drive a 5 minute one.

He peeked over at the passenger side and was met with the sight of Zayn fidgeting in his seat, palming at himself through his jeans. Niall’s breath caught and he stepped on the gas a little harder, silently thankful for the deserted roads.

"Lemme blow you. Just...bear with me- I'm new at this."

Niall jerked the steering wheel, nearly ending up on the sidewalk before he righted the car, taking in a shaky breath.

"Zayn, I-"

He cut himself off with a gasp as Zayn reached over and flicked open the button on Niall’s khakis. Giving in, the blonde pushed himself upwards slightly to give Zayn room to free up Niall’s aching cock before leaning awkwardly over the center console.

Grasping Niall’s erection, Zayn flicked his wrist twice to get the blonde squirming before letting his head lower to lick a fat trail up the side experimentally. He shifted around the uncomfortable digging of the console into his chest as he quickened the pace, taking the leaking member fully into his mouth.

Niall’s fists clenched white around the steering wheel, just a few blocks from his house as he forced himself to focus at least partially on the road. Zayn’s mouth was hot against him, a little too much teeth but actually really excellent considering the circumstances, as his tongue darted teasingly along the length.

Niall let out a long moan, whipping around the corner onto his street.

He brought the car to a screeching halt at the curb, not even bothering to pull into the driveway. He regretfully pushed Zayn away, having enough sense of himself to pull up his trousers before racing around to Zayn’s side to swing open the door (always the gentleman, of course).

Niall pulled Zayn out by the hand, immediately bringing the younger in for a desperate kiss, tasting himself on Zayn’s tongue.

Zayn matched his eagerness for a moment before pulling back, a thought dawning on him.

"Your parents?"

"I live with just me mam, and she’s out with friends. Me da’s back in Ireland," he said said impatiently, like every moment spent not kissing Zayn was a moment wasted.(Which, well- he wasn't wrong.)

Niall pulled Zayn along, leading him the short distance to the door backwards, turning only briefly to fumble with the key. He kicked the door closed behind them and couldn't help the way he rutted up against the younger boy's thigh- slotted between his legs- as he pushed him up against the wall in a quiet desperation. He was still painfully hard from the quick blowie in the car and even the heavy pressure of Zayn's body on his dick wasn't nearly enough. 

Pulling away in a breathless laugh, Zayn knocked his forehead against Niall's playfully. 

"Why don't we bring this somewhere else so that all your visitors are not greeted with the smell of sex upon entering, yeah?" 

"Jesus fuck, alright," Niall agreed, dragging Zayn up the stairs and into his room rather unceremoniously.

The orange suit Louis had so kindly suggested to Niall earlier in the evening was still laying on the floor at the end of his bed and he mentally cursed himself for failing to clean at least that up before leaving. He toed it under the dresser and returned his gaze to Zayn, who in the short moment of inactivity seemed to have lost his nerve a bit.

Niall could see his arousal pressing persistently against his jeans but his face told a different story. He was worrying his bottom lip, heel of his hand pushing into his hard on and uncertainty written all over his features.

He crossed the room to where Zayn was stood by the door, bringing his lips down gently to the younger's, ignoring the satisfying pressure of their erections together as best as he could. 

"Everything alright?" his words ghosted over the hot mouth against his.

Zayn pulled in a shaky breathy, "Would you mind if, like, we didn't... go all the way tonight? I've never done this before, um." He brought his hand to the back of his neck as his face flushed slightly.

Niall kissed the soft pink blush on each cheek. "Of course, love. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Fuck the bet. Fuck Louis. He was smitten.

Zayn's kiss swollen lips quirked up into a clever smile. "I could always finish what I started in the car?"

Niall let out a moan just thinking of Zayn's mouth on him, and how good it had been, that tight wet heat- he forced a tight smile, using all his will power to avoid rutting into the body pressed against his, "If you're not comfortable you don't-" 

His own words were cut off by an involuntary gulp as Zayn quickly rid the older of his hoodie and t-shirt, trailing his slightly separated lips trail down the side of Niall's neck. He paused briefly to suck on the pulsing vein there, before continuing down past his collarbone and towards a peaked nipple. 

Struggling to control his ragged breathing, Niall found his wits enough to tug at the collar of Zayn's shirt. He felt the younger pull away and took it as his cue to tug off the shirt entirely, freezing only at the look of nervousness on his face. 

"I'm not-" Zayn cut himself off, taking a steadying breath, "There's nothing special to see. I can just get you off, like.."

"Zayn-" Niall's voice had a sharper edge to it than he had intended, "You are one of the most gorgeous- fuck I can't believe I even have to tell you how beautiful you are. I wanted you from the moment I first saw you and then I got to know your personality and I was  _blown away_ but now please for the love of god let's either get on with it or let me go have a quick wank and then I'm gonna cuddle this shit out of you but until then-"

Zayn pulled his shirt off and, bringing Niall down onto the bed with him, pressed a light kiss to where the blonde's happy trail disappeared before ridding him of his jeans and pants completely. He took Niall back into his mouth and registered a quick exhale followed immediately by a low moan from the older lad.

He pushed down further experimentally, seeing how much he could take now that he didn't have the center console limiting his movements. Niall's hands fisted tightly in the sheets, using every ounce of his willpower to avoid fucking up into the fantastic heat enveloping him.

He let out a grunt of exertion, proceeded by a strained, "Fuck m'already close." Knowing Zayn wasn't quite ready for that, Niall pulled the younger off him and concentrated hard to keep from losing it at the sight of the brunette's slick red lips and wide-eyed confusion. 

Flipping their positions, Niall laid Zayn back on the bed before reaching down to the clasp on his trousers, pausing in silent request for permission. Zayn nodded slightly, pupils blown wide as the sight of the Irishman ridding him completely of his remaining clothing. 

Without warning Niall sat up, pulling Zayn into his lap so the two were facing each other with Zayn's legs wrapped loosely around the older's torso. He reached down and grasped Zayn's satisfyingly hard and neglected cock, standing just centimeters from his own. 

Zayn let out a little gasp, head falling to the crook of Niall's neck and biting there absent-mindedly.

"Fuck Zayn," Niall breathed, thumbing at Zayn's slit and smearing the pre-cum that had collected there around his fingertips, "Not enough."

He reached the short distance to his bedside table, pulling the lube out of its hiding place behind the lamp. He emptied just enough into his palm, the younger's shallow breath in his ear as he brought his hand back to Zayn's arousal. He gave Zayn a few test strokes that had the younger shuddering before extending his fingers and grasping his own cock alongside Zayn's.

Niall felt more than heard Zayn moan his name, and he flicked his wrist up, jacking them both off with his one hand, other gripping at Zayn's hip. 

The blonde picked up speed, desperate for release after such extended foreplay. He heard Zayn's breath catch, accompanied by a short gasped "Fuck," before he was coming between them, covering both of their stomachs. Niall shot off immediately after, forearm aching as he stroked them through their highs.

Zayn's body went limp against Niall, spent, as he mouthed soft kisses to the part of Niall's neck he had abused. Niall laid Zayn down for the second time that evening, grabbing a ratty old shirt off the floor and cleaning them off as best as he could manage. 

He watched Zayn curl in on himself, a little self-conscious at laying there completely naked, watching as Niall went into a drawer to grab a pair of trackies for himself and shorts for Zayn. Making his way back over to the bed, he slid the shorts on Zayn before curling up next to the younger lad and pulling the blankets over them. Zayn immediately wrapped around the Irishman, eyes droopy but crinkly at the corners. Niall could relate.

"G'night Z," Niall mumbled, pressing a light kiss against the dark hair tickling at his neck.

 

"Night Ni," Zayn barely managed to say back, before they both fell into a hazy and happy post-orgasmic sleep.  

* * *

 

The first thing Niall did when he woke up, aside from placing a kiss to Zayn's shoulder, was grab his phone to shoot a quick text to the group chat

**Niall**

_i forfeit_

and then after a moment, he sent one more before cuddling back into Zayn's side.

**Niall**

_u were right lou , absolutely smitten_

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed, feedback is always appreciated !


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